Maybe, yes
by Underground Romance
Summary: Sometimes, when your life crumbles, you have to pick up the pieces. But you don't have to do it alone. KibaOC, a story about hope and how beautiful friendship is.


**Maybe, yes.**

_"Mommy?" A small voice whispered. The house was eerily silent, an ominous, tight air thick around her, as if waiting to constrict around her, to suffocate her. Her small feet padded up the stairs, her bottom lips trembling as she climbed the stairs, her tiny hand brushing the rail up the stairs._

_"Mommy." She called, louder this time, her eyes wide with worry as she saw her mother's door. It was slightly ajar, a small ray of light peeking from under it. She walked closer, pushed the door open, and screamed._

A loud clatter jarred her from her slumber. Bright red-brown eyes snapped open, and a girl's head jerked up to stare sheepishly at her aunt, who was smiling at her, hands on her hips. She shook her head, waving her hand at the young teen's face.

"Come now, darlin'." She chuckled fondly. "No sleepin' on the job."

"Sorry, auntie." October giggled, pushing dark black hair from her fragile, pretty-looking face, much resembling a child's. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Her expressions softened. "Darling, I'm sure your father is fine. He's a fine ninja, that he is."

The young girl smiled brightly, slipping out of her chair, trying to focus her thoughts on her father, and not her dead mother, who had committed suicide eight years ago. Her father was out on a vital mission; but also a deadly one. October hated that her father was a ninja, but of course like a good little girl, she kept her mouth shut. So her aunt took her in while her father was out, and she repaid her by helping with her bakery.

And she worried about him every waking moment.

She smoothed her apron and giggled slightly, nodding at her aunt briskly. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll get to work."

Without waiting for a response, she spun around gracefully and bounced off, her high ponytail bobbing with her movements. She slipped into the kitchen, and smiled when the cooks turned and smiled in greeting, then went back to work. She grabbed an order and got to work, pounding dough and inhaling the delicious smells she always loved when she cooked. Once finished with the small cakes order, she put it on a silver tray and walked out, smiling at the familiar face.

"Jii-chan!" She greeted happily, placing the tray in front of him. The young ninja smiled at her shyly.

"Hey October." He said. He was a regular customer; also, a good friend of hers. He was tall, obviously an excellent ninja trait, with ruffled brown hair and wide petty blue eyes. October smiled, rubbing dough and sugar off her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Enjoy. I'll come hang out during my break."

He went red and smiled again, and she winked before lopping back into the kitchen. Her break was around 12, and after an hour more of cooking and sometimes serving, she hurried to Jikaku's table, letting out a loud dramatic sigh as she flopped in the chair across from his. He looked up mid-bite in his juicy doughnut, eyes wide and purple jelly oozing onto his hands and mouth. October giggled, and the ninja blushed, dropping his food and hastily wiping his face with a napkin.

"No, no, it's fine, hun." She said brightly. "Eat away. I just need to rest. Ahh, I love my job! Much better than being a ninja. Though, I don't really have any chakra flow, which is weird, since my dad is a ninja. But hey, I'm not complaining. You know how I am, I hate confrontations. And death. And spiders. But, yeah." She rambled, carelessly grabbing Jikaku's milk and taking a drink before putting it back next to him. He stared at it, then looked up at her, swallowing his food and smiling slightly.

"It's alright, October." He mumbled, licking his lips, making her giggle. She jumped across the table to hug him tightly.

"Ooooh, you're just too cute! I love having you as my friend, Jii!" She squealed gleefully. The poor boy went beat-red, and he wiggled in her tight hug, so she pulled away giggling to sit back in her chair.

"Sorry."

"I...It's alright." He grumbled into the napkin, face red. She giggled again.

"Well, I better get back to work." She said, pushing back and hopping from her chair. "And have some lunch. Bye, Jii!" She waved as she bounced off. Jikaku lifted his hand to wave back but she was gone.

The day went on like any other day; she worked all day, went home, took a bubble bath then slept. October didn't have many friends; she worked so much that Jikaku was the only person she actually saw. Once, they made a bet that if she had a day off and walked around, no one would know who she was. They laughed about it, but deep inside October was sad. She wanted more friends, not just Jikaku, though she adored him.

But the next day, Saturday, everything crumbled. She was working as usual, and was just heading back in the kitchen when she saw it. Her aunt was collapsed on the ground sobbing, clinging onto the edge of the wall. Two solemn-looking ninja were standing in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart hammered viciously in her chest, and she stumbled over.

"Wh-What is it?"

Her aunt looked up and began waling, throwing her arms around October's neck and sobbing into her shirt. Trembling, the girl looked at the ninja, who winced at her bright, horrified gaze.

"Umbreo Huzaku died two days ago in action."

That's when the world fell away. It was only October, standing in darkness, a lonely sadness she had never felt before in her life falling over her. Worse than when she saw her mother hanging off the wall, worse than anything she's ever felt before. Then the world shattered and she was crying, her body numb as she fell onto her aunt, and they cried together in their darkness, missing the someone who was the last thing they had to cling onto.

**II**

She moved the week after. Her father, it was said, had died in the leaf village, and his body was so horrid that they buried him there. October wanted nothing more than to see her father's grave, so she begged her aunt to let her go there. Finally she allowed her poor grieving niece to live with her godfather, and her father's close friend, a ninja named Kashashi.

October vaguely remembered him. Only glimpses, but her aunt said that the ninja surely remembered her. So October set off, easily getting there safely. She wore all black, not her usual white-colorful clothes, in grieving. A long black dress and gloves, with a black sunhat that covered her tear-stained face.

Kakashi recognized her instantly. Somehow, maybe the black, but he knew who she was and walked over. The small girl looked up at the tall ninja, who looked down at her softly.

"October." He greeted. And then she burst into tears and clung onto him, the person who watched her father die and who swore right then and there he would protect this girl with his life.

She settled in easily. She didn't have much, and her room was empty and sad, with no pictures except one. It rested on her nightstand, a small pretty oak frame. Inside was a man, a handsome man with ruffled black hair and happy blue eyes. His arm was around a petite woman with short brown hair and warm brown eyes, and beautiful smile on her face. And between them was her, a small girl with short black hair and wide, sparkling red-brown eyes, and a grin on her face, both hands holding her parent's.

She missed those days.

She didn't leave her new room except to eat and bathe for a week. Kakashi tried to coax her from her room, saying things like 'come meet my team!' but she would ignore his pleas. She hated ninja. They did this to her life. Her father died for her village, for a fight that wasn't his! And her mother died because she knew it, she could _see_ it. She saw her father's death would come and she was so miserable and horrified that she couldn't live with the knowledge.

No. Ninja were her enemy now. They needed to just _stay away_. They needed to stop fighting, to stop sacrificing a father, a brother, a son!

Finally, the second week, she left. She wore a white dress with blue lacing around her thin waist, but wore her black sunhat and carried a rose with her. She went to her father's grave on that rainy day, her hat sticking down on her face, the rain mingling with her tears. Her dress clung to her body, seeping through to show her thin figure from lack of proper eating, but she didn't care because she was then standing in front of her father's grave.

She lost it. Tears gushed from her eyes and her rose fell, dripping wet with sopping petals, onto the stone. She collapsed on her knees and clung to the grave wailing, clawing at the stone until blood gushed from her fingernails, ripping off as she cried and screamed. Everything was gone. She was alone, so, so alone.

She sobbed and moaned in agony, hugging the stone as she wept, the thunder crashing but she didn't bother, the rain cold and she felt ill, but she never left her father's side. She fell asleep sobbing onto the stone, her bloody hands resting on the rose, her head tucked against the stone.

She awoke to something digging into her stomach. She blinked sleep away and looked up at a boy, his foot digging into her stomach, eyebrow quirked curiously. He was taller than her, as was everyone, with black hair slicked back, dark grey eyes connected with hers.

She gasped, jerking to sit up, trembling, her forehead dripping with sweat and rain, her hair damp and clinging to her face. Her dress still clung to her body, muddy and wet, bloody still crusting on her numb hands.

"What…" The boy began, then paused. She was silent, her trembling hands moving to her lap. The rose was still perched next to the grave. She blinked when a pale hand reached out, and she looked up at him gently. She accepted his hand, and he helped her stand, her knees wobbly.

She coughed, feeling sick, and she shook her head slightly to get her damp hair out of her pale face. She looked up to thank him, then froze. His headband.

_He was a ninja._

She stepped back, and stared at him in horror.

"You—!" She gasped. "A ninja!"

He looked confused but annoyed. More so the latter. "What?"

"I…" She choked. "My _god_." She stared at him in pity and disgust, then stumbled off in an attempt to run. She blindly ran towards her home, dazed and confused and sick. When she slammed the door open she was greeted by an angry-looking Kakashi. He smelled like cologne, and oddly it made her feel a bit less sick.

"Where have you been!?" he shouted, and she tumbled into his arms to rest her head on his shoulder, her eyes closing. He stiffened, and then breathed out through his nose when his hand pressed on her forehead. She cuddled into his warmth when he carried her upstairs and set her in bed, telling her to rest.

She did.

She slept for a day and a half, then woke feeling refreshed and better. She got dressed after a long shower, and headed downstairs, eating something before she left the house to find Kakashi. She ignored the curious stares she received, and kept her head held high. She decided to rest and entered a ramen place, sitting down to rest her head on her arms.

"Excuse me." She looked up to see a pink-haired girl, pretty green eyes bright and smile polite. "Hello, you're October-san, right?"

She nodded numbly. "Y-Yes."

"Ah," She grinned, and October felt protected, suddenly. Safe. Warm. "I'm Sakura."

"What a pretty name." She said softly. Sakura smiled.

"Thank you. You're name is nice, too."

October smiled. They talked, slowly, since October was refined and didn't want to interact at the moment. But slowly, surely, they were talking and laughing. A blonde soon strutted over, and Sakura's expression changed into disgust.

"Ino-pig." She greeted coldly, and the blonde snorted.

"Billboard-face." She retorted, then Sakura twitched in anger. October looked confused.

"Billboard-head? I think Sakura-chan's head looks perfectly fine."

Sakura smiled and Ino laughed loudly. "Seriously!?"

October narrowed her eyes. "Stop being so mean. I like Sakura, what's your reason to hating her?"

The blonde snorted. "Well, I could name hundreds of reasons."

Sakura looked annoyed, and October shook her head. Sakura stood to her feet, hands on her hips, expression annoyed and angry.

"Go away, Ino-pig!" She shouted. The blonde 'humphed' and strutted off. Sakura watched her as she stopped to talk with two girly-looking girls, glancing at them every now and then, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I better go." October said quietly, slipping off the seat. "Bye, Sakura."

She smiled. "Bye."

She left the ramen place, arms wrapped around her arms, head bowed, her hair falling over her face and shoulders. She walked on in silence, stopping to rest against a tree. She almost fell asleep when voices reached her ears. She fell silent, eyes closed as she eavesdropped without meaning to.

"I like her," A voice said. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the tree. "Stop telling me I can't ask her."

"Well!" The voice shouted, and she realized it was Ino. "Didn't you hear!? Everyone's talking about it. She _hates_ ninja! And what are you? A freakin' ninja!"

A pause. "So?" The other voice said quietly. "I like her. She's pretty and she seems nice. Do I really have to list off the reasons in order to get you to shut up?"

A fuming silence. "You are such an idiot, Kiba!" She growled, then stormed off. October watched her stalk off, then closed her eyes and curled up, shuddering. A ninja…liked her. Memories of her mother, a noose clinging around her neck as she dangled from the ceiling flashed in her head, and she winced. No. Never. She covered her ears and bowed her head, breathing through her nose to calm herself.

The boy, this Kiba person, left after silence for a moment, not noticing her. She sat for a little bit before she stood and walked off, only to nearly collide with a boy. Apparently he didn't leave. A dog yipped from her head and she blinked dully at the boy, who went red when he saw her.

"Err, sorry." He said, and she returned his apology with a cold look. He shifted slightly.

"Umm…" He said. "So, you're October, right? I'm Kiba."

She blinked at his extended hand, then turned and walked off. She didn't look back, but heard a sad sigh behind her until she couldn't hear him anymore.

She didn't leave her house for a long while after that, staying hidden in her room, silent as she thought back on many things she shouldn't have been. Kakashi treated her like he would his own daughter, and she forget he was a ninja, and leaned on him like he did with her father.

She left the house on a Sunday, because it was nice out and she wanted to visit a spot her father told her about before. She made it there easily, since it was obvious where it was. She smiled softly to herself, sitting down on the healthy green grass, her hands brushing over them, the flower's smell wafting in her nose. It was just like he said it was.

"Hi." She looked over at Kiba, who flopped next to her. She didn't bother moving, but she turned away to stare at the sky. "Listen, sorry if I startled you before…"

"You didn't." She said quietly. He stirred at her voice, and she looked over at him and saw he was blushing, a smile on his face.

"I just…don't like ninja, in case Ino didn't already tell you." She said bitterly, looking away again. Silence.

"Sorry." He repeated, and she closed her eyes and said nothing. She as relieved when he was also silent, and she allowed him to sit next to her in the comfortable silence. When she left, he stayed there, and she didn't see him the rest of the night.

But she went there everyday, and he was there. Sometimes they'd sit there in silence, and sometimes he talked to her, and sometimes, only sometimes, she'd talk back. It went like that for a year in her new village, and her friendship with Sakura was strained when she realized she was a ninja, but she got over it and realized, maybe, not all ninja were horrible.

She still gave Kiba a hard time after that year. But one day, when the sun was extra bright and hot, they sat there in silence. Like always, he sat next to her, his hand resting next to hers. But something was different. His hand moved to rest on top of hers…

And she didn't pull away.

"Will you please," he said softly, turning to stare at her warmly. "Give me a chance?"

She stared back into those eyes of his, and she felt something inside her drop, then explode, and suddenly tears were falling from her eyes because she saw something in his eyes, something that reminded her so much of her father.

"Maybe," She whispered. "Maybe, yes."


End file.
